State prison population shows sharp, recent rise

By Matthew Hill

Despite its smaller population, rural geography, old-fashioned demeanor and general reputation as a law-abiding state, West Virginia’s prison population rose at an astounding rate — especially among women — in 2006, according to numbers released last December by the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics.

While the U.S. prison population increased less than 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, the Mountain State’s incarceration rate spiked around 8 percent for the same period — a much higher increase, in percentage terms, than any surrounding state.

The only one that even came close was Ohio’s 7.2 percent. Kentucky experienced only a 1.7 percent growth in its prison population, while Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia saw respective increases of 2.7, 4.8 and 3.8 percent.

According to the report, West Virginia’s incarceration rate grew by an average annual rate of 6.6 percent each year between 2000 and 2005. The state’s prison population went from 3,856 at the end of 2000 to 5,733 six years later.

Only Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire and Rhode Island witnessed more dramatic changes in their incarceration rates.

For the same period, West Virginia was also ahead of a nationwide increase in the percentage of females behind bars. Nationally, the female prison population jumped 4.5 percent. West Virginia’s 19.6 percent growth dwarfed that — outpacing only Georgia, New Hampshire and Rhode Island in that regard.

West Virginia’s female prison population grew by only 9.6 percent on average each year from 2000 until 2005. What once amounted to 303 female inmates at the end of 2000 ballooned to 574 at the end of 2006.

The population of male prisoners in the Mountain State went up 6.8 percent from 2005 through 2006, which was much higher than the national increase of 2.7 percent and only slightly more pronounced than the state’s average annual increase of 6.3 percent between 2000 and 2005.

In terms of male prisoners and the percentage increase thereof from 2005 to 2006, only Georgia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont outdid West Virginia.

- - -

So what gives? More aggressive prosecution of crimes? Guidelines mandating lengthier sentences? And why are more women seemingly joining the criminal workforce than previously thought? More and more West Virginians seem to be facing the temporal finality of iron bars and the lace curtain of a cage.

Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein doesn’t necessarily see the statistics as being harbingers of good or bad news. For him, they are merely indicative of the quality of the state’s judicial system — from prosecutors and judges to law enforcement officers.

“It’s a double-edged sword. We do have more police and more specialized task forces. One thing we’re seeing in West Virginia is the meth and the clandestine labs (that produce it),” he observed.

“It was projected that we would start seeing that crime prosecuted more and start seeing more of those individuals. That’s starting to increase. Sadly, we’ve seen some of the drug crimes increase in the female population. A high percentage of crimes committed are drug-related or are committed to obtain drugs for a significant other.”

Rubenstein noted he was a unit manager at a Taylor County prison facility for women earlier in his career. Even then, his unit had 80 female inmates, and there was always a waiting list of 30 to 40. “Thankfully, we’ve opened up a (female) facility in Mason County.”

According to Rubenstein, a safe society does not come without a price. “As a father and grandfather, I certainly would rather be talking about monies going to education and schools. As a corrections professional, we have a job to do. Locking somebody up and getting them off the street — it comes at a cost, and it’s not cheap,” he added.

Rubenstein likened his agency’s function to that of a catcher on a baseball team. “I never question law enforcement, prosecutors and judges. We get the court order, and we know what to do with that when we receive it,” he said.

“I certainly feel that one of our main jobs is to provide for a safer state of West Virginia. I think that we do that. I feel that we do a good job. When someone is sentenced to our care and custody, we have a huge responsibility to prepare them to successfully re-enter society and be a productive, taxpaying citizen.”

The commissioner estimated that 90 percent of those who enter the doors of a state prison come back into civil society at some point. “When someone comes through our door, we’re immediately preparing them to leave. We want to prepare them properly and appropriately for the ultimate goal of going back into society.”

Statistics show, Rubenstein said, that an inmate who becomes educated while incarcerated and finds gainful employment within the first six months or so after his or her release is unlikely to re-offend. “Their chances of being successful rise all the time. Hopefully, what we’re doing is preparing them. It’s easier said than done.”

Rubenstein applauded the efforts of community corrections programs, drug courts and mental health courts. “Folks are looking for ways for those they feel can be successful without incarceration. It’s still a controlled environment,” he added.

As to whether West Virginia is a safe state, Rubenstein counsels leaving the mountainous confines for a visit to the urban jungles of crime that dot the American landscape in other states.

“West Virginia is still a safe state to live in and a good state. I go to conferences throughout the year. I go to these larger cities and grab the newspaper or turn on the news,” he explained.

“Things that happen on a daily basis (in those places) thankfully don’t happen in West Virginia on a daily basis. I’m a native West Virginian, and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. There are folks who we, as a society, feel should be off the street and incarcerated for a period of time. Apparently, we’re doing that.”

— E-mail: mhill@register-herald.com